Comfortable with Your Surgeon Having a Temper Tantrum?

May 08, 2015
By
Sheffy, Mazzaccaro, DePaulo & DeNigris, LLP

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Tantrums are expected with small children, who may be in the process of
socialization where one learns to share and work with others. They are
not expected of doctors in an operating room, where their tantrums may
endanger patients and other medical staff during the procedure.

Yet doctor bullying, ranging from berating nurses in expletive-laden excoriations
to throwing blood-contaminated surgical instruments at them are far more
common than you would expect from image of a sagacious-oracle of medical
knowledge and wisdom that most doctors prefer project.

Almost 74 percent of nurses have been subjected to condescending or demeaning
comments or insults, "condescending or demeaning comments or insults,"
by physicians. A quarter report doctors throwing objects at them and almost
half have shamed and humiliated by doctors.

The same culture that permits this type of behavior also keeps quiet about
it, as nurses fear for their jobs, should they question or provoke a powerful
surgeon or doctor in their facility. But that behavior may result in more
than just harm to a nurse's career.

Patients are at risk when doctors refuse to listen to nurses or when the nurses are so intimidated
by the doctor that they won't question decisions or object when they
recognize that patient care is being compromised.

Nurses are highly trained and an important part in the healthcare process
and allowing them to be treated like second-class citizens in the operating
room does little to help patients, while ignoring the problem adds one
more unnecessary risk patients do not need.

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